Artificial larynx



Dec. l5, 1931. R. R. RlEsz ARTIFICIAL LARYNX Filed July fr, 1930 /NVENTOR R. A. R/ESZ er Arron/ver Patented Dec. 15, 1931 'UNITED' STATES PATENT or-'FICE BOBBT B. m82, OF FEW YORK, N. Y., ABSGNOB TO BELL TEImONE LABORLTOBIH, i

' INCORPORATED, OI' NEW YOBX, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK I ARTIFICIAL LABYNX appunti am my v, mo. sum n. 400,064.

This invention relates to artificial larynges and more particularly to artificiallaryngesin which the vibratory element producing the sound is a reed.

5 An object of this invention is to provide an artificial 'larynx which will produce a tone resembling very closely that which is produced by the natural larynx in the throat of the average male person.

reed structure employed which is a substantially flat beating t `of reed having longitudinal stiiening 31%, a weighted free end and a spring portion which may be adjusted.

15 Other features which rmit ready cleaning and sterilization of t e various parts resi e in the supporting of the reed and sound chamber by an outlet connection, removably secured to the cas' by a bayonet connec- Nition, and in the hiilling arrangement for a comparativel soft rubber pad positioned between the un er surface of the reed and a wall of the sound chamber.

In the attached drawings, Fig. 1 is a side 35 elevation insection of an artificial larynx including the improvement;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the artificial larynx showing the vibratory reed separate from its supporting member; and

-30 Fig. 3 is an'illustration of a person using the artificial larynx.

In some cases of throat infection it becomes n` we: `to remove the larynx and to terminate the trachea or windpipe in anv outside orifice at the base' of the front portion of the neck. y v

In o` rations of this'lrind the ptient invariab loses the power of speech cause by of the larynx the vocal cords have remov been removed and it is impossible for the person 'so operated upon to produce a tone the throat which may be modulated in the mouth or nasal cavities into articulate speech. To restore the power of speech to a person so operated upon an artificial tone producing instrument commonly known as an articlal larynx has been provided.

This artificial larynx com rises a casing having inlet and ou et rts an 'o vibratory element supported wi the cas- A feature of this invention resides in theA .aswill a mouthpiece or formed so that it can ing. The inlet port is connected to the termlnation of the trachea at the base of the neck by a suitable fitting and the outlet port is placed in the mouth of the user or is extended thereto by a suitable mouthpiece.

Air exhaled from the trachea or wlndpipe through the orifice at the base of the neck passes into the casing of the artificial larynx through the inlet port and sets in vibration the v1 ratory element supported within the casin and produces a tone. The tone produce passes out of the casin through the outlet port and into the mout of the user where, by means of muscular movement of the mouth and nasal cavities-and movement of the ton e the user can modulate the tone produced y the artificial larynx `and form this tone into articulate speec Artificial larynges employing various forms of vibratory elements as a tone producing medium have already been invented. Means have also been provided to vary the itch of the tone produced by shortenin or engthening the operative part of the vi ratory element.

Such instruments have not been designed especially'to produce any particular tone nor have they been designed particularly for use by either a male or a female person.

Upon experimentation it has been found that a certain type of vibratory element or reed su ported relative .to a sound chamber later described, will produce a tone closely resemblinglin pitch the tone normally produced in the t roat of a male n and that in this particular structure ere is re quired onl a very slight adjustment of the reed to ma e the tone produced resemble the natural voice tone of any particular male individual. A

To further describe this invention, reference will now be had to the accom drawings in which 1 is a cylindri having'a closed end 2 an open end 3, inlet connection 4 and outlet port 5. Attached to -the open end 3 by means of bayonet connections 6, 6 is an outlet connection 7 which may be an elbow connection adapted tn receive a conveniently placed in the mouth of the user. l

Supported within the-casing 1 by the outlet connection 7 is a sound chamber 8. This sound chamber which has an opening at 9 registering with the bore 10 of the outlet connection 7 is hemispherical in cross-section and comprises a half-round tubular section 11 which may be made from a half section of a longitudinally split tube, a lat plate 12' soldered across the open side of the halfround tubular sect/ion 11 and having a turned-down end portion 13 circumferentially soldered to and closing one end of the sound chamber and a turned-up end portion 14 which is secured to the inner end of the outlet connection 7. In the fiat plate 12 is an elongated substantiallyT centrally located aperture 15 and the longitudinal edges of the plate are turned over to form cooperative channels 16, 16 to receive a rectangular semi-soft rubber strip 17. The rubber strip 17 is slid over the fiat plate 12 and is held at its edges in the channels 16, 16. The rubber strip 17 is also provided with an elongated aperture 18 which registers with the elongated aperture 15 in the flat plate 12.

Extending over the semi-soft rubber stri 17 and covering the apertures 15l and 181s a substant'ally fiat reed. member 19 of spring material aving longitudinally turned-up edge portions 20, 2O which serve as stiiening members, a weight-21 on its free end and a turned-.up end portion 22 to engage the turned-up end 14 of the fiat plate 12. The reed 19 is provided with an arched and apertured portion 23 forming a spring and this spring portion is secured to the sound chamber near its open end 9 by means of a screw 24 which passes through an apertured upper plate 25, reed 19, an apertured lower plate 26, fiat plate 12 and into a nut or threaded block 27 lwhich is soldered to the inner surface of the iat platev 12.

The structure just described may be readily taken apart for cleaning and sterilization as shown in Fig. 2 by separating the outlet connection 7 with its attached sound chamber 8 and related parts from thelcasing 1 means 6, 6. The rubber strip 17 may also be removed by sliding it outwardly in the channelsv16, 16.

The reedf19, by reason' of the stiffness inherent in the spring material of which it is Iliade, the comparatively short arched spring portion, the longitudinally turned-up edge portions and the weight on the free end, has a natural period of vibration of a comparaf tively lowfrequency and when set into vibration produces a'tone closely resembling a nor- `mal tone of the average'masculine voice.

A The weight 21 on the-.free end ofthe reed 19` is provided to give suiicient weight at this p oint to -make 'the ree`d l come down hard a ainst the rubber strip 17 and momentarily c ose the apertures 15 and 18. This results in abruptly cutting off the wave front and pro ducing in the tone more high harmonics, of which there are an abundance in a natural voice tone. The weight 21 also serves as a loading member to cut down the natural frequency period of the vibration of the reed 19.

The rubber strip 17 between the fiat plate A12 and the reed 19 prevents the striking of the reed 19 against the flat plate 12 and the producing of any metallic sound between these two members.

Such slight changes as are necessary in the natural period of vibration to make the vibrating reed produce a tone closely resemblingthe natural voice tone of any particular male person may be made by adjustment of the screw 24 to make slight variations in the eiective'length of the arched spring portion 23 of the reed.

Adjustment of the vibratory element 19 may also be made without separating the output connection 7 from the casing 1 by reason of the position of thel adjustment screw 24 relative to the outlet port 5 in the casing 1 which makes it possible by insertion of a screw driver or suitable turning instrumentv The trachea con- 31 serves as a means of connection between the trachea connection 28 and the inlet con.-

nection 4 of the artificial larynx. This vparticular type of trachea connection, however, is not of importance 1n connect1on wlth this invention, as other suitable means of connection between this ,invention andthe trachea or windpipe of the user may be employed.

There is also shown in this figure a liexible tube 32 attached to the outlet connection 7 and serving as a mouthpiece. This flexible tube 32 may also be replaced by. any'other suitable means for-conveying the sound of the artificial larynx into the mouth of the user.

The outlet port'5 which is common to artificial lazl'ynges of this type serves as a breather port an allows the user of the instrument to breath through thisarticial larynx, the air traveling to and vfrom the lungs passing through this port 5, the casing 1, the inlet connection 4, the flexible tube 31, the trachea connecti'on'28 and the windpipe of the user. When this outlet port 5 is closed bya thumb `or finger of the user, air exhaled from the lungs through the trachea connection 28 and let connection 4 passes around and under the entering the artificial .larynx through the iniso reed is brought down 18 and 15 respectively, in the rubber strip 17 and the flat plate 12. A11 area of low pressure is thus created under the reed 19. The a ainst the rubber strip 17 and suliicient force dgeveloped in the spring portion 23 to bring the reed 19 back to normal position. This action being repeatedly gone through, reed 19 is set into vibration and a tone is produced which passing upward through the sound chamber 8 the outlet connection 7 and into the mouth of the user is Y modulated in the'mouth and nasal cavities `als into articulate speech by natural talking movements ofV the mouth and tongue of the user.

l/Vhat is claimed is:V

l. An artificial larynx comprising a casing and a reed supported Within the casing, said reed having a Weighted ree end, and reinforcements, said reinforcements comprising edge portions of said reed disposed normal to the plane of the reed.

2. An artificial larynx comprising a casing, a sound chamber supported Within the casing and a flat reed attached at one of its ends to a wall of the sound chamber, said reed having edge portions bent normal to its plane, running longitudinally of the reed, a Weighted free end, and a spring portion formed at the point o attachment of the reed to the Wall of the sound chamber.

3. An artificial larynx comprising a casing, a sound chamber supported Within the casing, a pad of semi-softl material supported against the wall of.\the sound chamber, a reed attached at one of its ends to the sound chamber and extending over said pad, turned-up edge portions on said reed run.- ning longitudinally of the reed, and a Weight on-the free end of the reed.

4. An artificial larynx comprising a casing, a sound chamber supported Within the ment to the sound chamber, and adjustable means securing said reed to said Y sound' chambersaid adjustable means being in alignment with said breather port in the casing, and manually operable therethrough to adjust the spring tension of said arched spring portion of the reed.

6. An artificial larynx comprising a casing having an inlet connection and a breather port formed in a Wall of the casing, a detachable outlet connection, a sound chamber supported Within the casin by said outlet connection, an apertured at ,side Wall in the sound chamber, turned back edge portions of the fla-t sidewall formin spaced channels, an apertured pad remova ly supported against the flat side Wall by said channels, a flat reed supported over the pad to beat against the pad When set into vibration, an arched spring portion on said reed, and attachment means for said reed securing said reed at one of itsends to the flat Wall of said sound chamber, said attachment means disposed in alignment with said breather port and adjustable therethrough to vary the spring tension of the arched spring portion of said reed.-

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of July, 1930.

ROBERT R. RIESZ.

casing, an apertured. flat side wall in the reed, turned edgeportlons running substantially the length of said reed, and an arched spring portion on said reed at the point of A attachment of saidreed to the sound chamber. L'

5. An artificial 'larynx comprising a cas-y ing, anl inlet connection on the casing, a v

breather port formed in the Wall 'of the casing, an outlet connection detachablysecured to the casing, a sound chamber supported within the casing by said outlet connection, an apertured fiat wall in the sound chamber, an apertured pad detachably sup'- ported against said apertured Hat wall,

l turned edges on said fiat wall' to hold the apertured'pad, a flatA reed' attached at one. of its ends to said sound chamber to beat l, 65 against said pad, an arched spring portion 

